In Which Shadows Are Unexpected
by WriterGreenReads
Summary: "Nico appeared right next to me, as if the shadows had darkened and created him. He stumbled, but I caught his arm. "I'm okay," he managed, rubbing his eyes. "How did you do that?" "Practice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China." OR Nico actually ends up meeting a certain Chinese nation through shadow-traveling shenanigans.


Many thanks to Ellethwen Celtica, who gave me the idea for this story. You guys should go check her out, she's cool.

* * *

Excerpt from The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

"Nico appeared right next to me, as if the shadows had darkened and created him. He stumbled, but I caught his arm.

"I'm okay," he managed, rubbing his eyes.

"How did you do that?"

"Practice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China."

* * *

Being a country, and a four thousand year old one at that, one would think that Yao was used to strange events and happenings. However, even he was not prepared to suddenly become flattened by a falling teenager.

Seated cross-legged on one of the cushions in his sitting room, the Chinese nation was deep in a contemplative meditation when he was abruptly shaken out of it due to a disturbance in the air. Frowning slightly, he glanced up. Were... the shadows rippling?

A dark tangle of limbs suddenly fell out the space in question, landing directly on the surprised nation and sending him tumbling to the floor with a startled yelp.

Face down on the floor, Yao was most displeased with the current situation. He grumbled and rolled sideways, out from whoever -or whatever- had decided to fall on him. He was a bit more familiar with this situation then he would have liked. Yong Soo especially seemed to like pulling that maneuver. The unknown person's limp body flopped off and settled on the floor. Yao got to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck as he examined the stranger.

He blinked with a mild amount of surprise at the teenager's appearance. A young boy, probably early teens, lay passed out on the wooden surface, face deathly pale. His messy hair fell in dark tangles around his face, accentuating the bruise-colored shadows under his closed eyes. An American-style bomber jacket enveloped his slight frame.

Yao crouched beside the kid, frowning. That little teleporting stunt, plus the tell-tale feel of magic the boy gave off was a sure sign that he was from _some_ pantheon, but for the life of him, the nation could not remember which one had _that_ particular trick. He wasn't one of his… Probably not Egyptian, since the boy had some immortal blood. The boy looked Italian. Roman, maybe?

The Chinese nation gently laid a hand on the teen's clammy forehead, feeling for signs of life. At the touch, the boy started with a gasp, eyes flying open. Yao quickly withdrew his hand, ready to leap back if needed.

The mysterious teenager looked up at him, eyes huge and chest heaving. He scrabbled backwards fearfully, hands scraping over the smooth floor. A rapid-fire babbled mix of English, Italian, and Ancient Greek was released before his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped back for the second time, unconscious.

Yao didn't move for a second. Okay, so the boy was Greek. A demigod.

"Why is there a demigod in my house?"

* * *

Yao was definitely not going soft in his old age. It was only fair, he reasoned, that this mysterious demigod told him exactly what he was doing in his house. And for that to happen, he had to first wake up. Which meant that Yao was obligated to make sure he was able to. And the demigod certainly needed to be taken care of. There was no _sentiment_ or anything in this entire situation.

The Greek, as Yao had so mentally dubbed, was unconscious for almost a week. In that time, the nation had refreshed his memory on the Greek Pantheon as much as possible. Admittedly, he hadn't really had much contact with them since their power had shifted across the seas in the 1800's. Or, well, ever. But Yao _did_ remember several extensive conversations with Priscus over them, and their philosophies.

That Roman braggart. He never could admit when he was wrong.

As far as the Chinese nation could recall, the transporting through darkness was shadow-traveling, something unique to Hades- or Pluto, once the Romans got around to building their empire- and his children. And it seemed to have taken a severe toll on this particular son of Hades. Already pale enough to be mistaken for one of his father's ghosts, the demigod seemed to waver between shadow and mortal being for the first day.

Usually he stayed completely still, with only the slight rise and fall of his chest to indicate that he had not yet joined the ranks of the Underworld. But sometimes he would mutter and thrash in his sleep, torment creasing his face. It saddened the nation, to his mild surprise. This demigod was too young, even by mortal standards. He should not have already seen this much darkness in the world.

The Chinese nation had been sitting beside the demigod's bed when the Greek finally stirred. Yao straightened up, startled out of his musings as his patient's eyes fluttered open.

The boy winced at the light streaming in through the window. He blinked sleepily in the direction of the window shades, brow furrowed with a lack of recognition. Dark eyes swept over the rest of the room with a growing degree of alarm, tensing as his gaze landed on Yao, sitting impassively at his bedside.

"I see you decided to wake up," the nation said dryly in English. "It would have been inconvenient if you had died before explaining why you shadow-traveled into my house."

The demigod's eyes went wide in a familiar expression of shock and he went to shove himself into an upright sitting position. Yao sighed in exasperation and gently pushed him back down again with one hand.

"Don't get up." When the teen sputtered in protest, the nation rolled his eyes before continuing. "You been unconscious for almost a week. I need to make sure you're capable of standing on your own two feet without collapsing before I let you out of bed." Yao fixed him with a stern look. "Are we clear?"

The teen swallowed. He glanced around the room again. When his eyes met Yao's again, he seemed to have relaxed a touch, apparently satisfied that the nation was not going to stab him where he lay.

"Okay." The demigod's voice was hoarse from disuse. He reached up and brushed a shock of black hair out of his eyes, frowning slightly. "Ummm… Who are you?"

Yao kept his eyes on the cup he was stirring. "You may call me Yao." Satisfied with the state of the tincture he had prepared, he handed the teen the cup. "Drink this. Do you have a name as well, or shall I continue to refer to you as "The Greek?"

The demigod cautiously sat up, accepting the cup. "I'm Nico… Nico di Angelo."

"A son of Hades."

Nico looked up, startled. "How did-"

"You shadow-traveled to get here."

"Oh." Nico took a sip from the tincture, grimacing at the bitter taste. At Yao's glare though, he conceded to take a long drink from the cup before speaking again. "Where am I?"

"In my house."

"And where is that?"

"China."

Nico scowled downwards into his drink. "Well, _that's_ specific," he muttered.

The Chinese nation harrumphed in return. "Finish your medicine."

The demigod automatically took an obedient swallow of his medicine at the commanding tone, perfected by hundreds of years of Yao dealing with little siblings. He coughed as he finished off the cup, handing it back to the older man.

"Now," Yao stated, tucking his hands into his wide sleeves after setting the empty cup down. "Do you know how you got here?"

The demigod shook his head. "I was trying to shadow travel… but I guess something went wrong." He winced. "China is a _little_ off the mark."

"Hmmm." Yao took a long look at the demigod, who was currently very interested in not meeting his gaze. "That was your first time trying it, wasn't it?"

"...yes."

The Chinese nation nodded in satisfaction. "That explains most of this. You exhausted yourself with this attempt. Once you get back up to strength in a few days, you can try again." Yao paused for a moment, frowning. "It's actually rather surprising that you managed a cohesive travel on your first try." He fixed Nico with a contemplative gaze. Nico looked away moodily.

He was running away from something, the nation realized. One could practically see the suppressed anger and fear rolling off this young demigod. Nico hardly had any handle on his powers, and they were forcing themselves to the surface to aid in whatever he was painfully fleeing.

"What?" Nico snapped.

Yao raised an eyebrow at his tone, causing Nico to lower his eyes and mutter an abrupt apology.

"You need to rest," Yao said, rising to his feet. "I'll come back later with some food. And I expect you to eat all of it."

* * *

Nico's condition rapidly improved, and within three days he was back on his feet, thanks to Yao's administrations. Yao was surprised to find that he was not totally against having a younger person around the house again. It was nostalgic, and Nico actually made for some pleasant company when he was not complaining. Besides, he was shorter than Yao, and that didn't happen often anymore.

"Do you really think I can shadow-travel all the way back to America in one go from here?" Nico was currently asking, preparing to do just that. His voice trembled a bit. "Last time I almost died."

"You're exaggerating," Yao said briskly, straightening the teen's jacket. "Besides, it's easier to use magic in this house." The nation didn't bother to tell him that that was because of the magical foundations his house was built on, or the cleansing and strengthening writ spells hidden in the walls. "You will be fine."

Nico took a deep breath, looking up a Yao one last time.

"Thanks," he mumbled, suddenly awkward. "I… needed the help."

The nation huffed, one of his rare smiles showing through. "It was my pleasure. Now go!" Yao made a shooing gesture. "I have things to do, and I need less noisy demigods in my house."

Nico squared his shoulders and turned, walking into the shadow spread over the wall. He hesitated a step, then determinedly stepped through. A subtle ripple of the shadow was the only reminder that he had been there at all.

The Chinese nation contemplated the spot the teen had departed for a few moments. Well, that was that, he thought. Mortals passed in and out of his life so quickly. He would probably never meet Nico di Angelo again in the land of the living.

He was wrong.

* * *

It was many months later, which is not long at all in nation standards. Yao found himself woken in the middle of the night by a crash in his bedroom. Grumbling softly to himself, he got out of bed, silently making his way towards the light switch.

He had a sneaking suspicion, but the muffled Greek and Italian swearing confirmed who he thought it was. His guest seemed to have learned plenty of colorful language since his last visit.

"Well," Yao stated, flicking on the lights to illuminate the dark room. "I wonder if this is going to become a habit of yours."

Nico di Angelo barely lifted his head from where he was sprawled on the floor. "No offense," he groaned. "But I hope not."

"None taken." The older man turned back to the rest of the house. "Would you like some tea?"

Apparently, Nico had once again lost control of his shadow-traveling. It had dumped him back in the Chinese nation's house in a close proximity to Yao himself. Yao was mildly amused by the whole situation. Nico, however, seemed to have grown more sullen in the months that had passed. He hunched where he sat, head bowed over his steaming cup of tea.

Yao didn't press him. He could tell the young man was still in turmoil over his life. _And_ he was still running. Nico spoke little, but Yao gathered that he was involved in the trouble brewing in North America at the moment. The magic conflict was resonating throughout the entire world. Not only one pantheon was affected when they were at war.

The demigod seemed to gain a little peace from their silent ritual of tea. He muttered his thanks when he was through, and shadow-traveled away again as soon as he was able to muster the strength.

This happened a couple more times in the passing of the year.

* * *

Nico couldn't believe it.

He stumbled away from gates of Elysium, numb and not focusing on where he was going.

 _She's gone._

The blank face of the gatekeeper once more swam before his vision. Grave and solemn, it had delivered its flat proclamation, pulled from it after Nico's insistence. He had searched and searched, ignoring the throngs of happy spirits, of famous faces, instead only looking for one. One very special face.

 _Bianca di Angelo has chosen to be reborn into a new life._

This was too much. Nico all but ran for the nearest shadow, not caring that his limbs already shook with exhaustion. He pulled upon the empty feeling of the darkness, willing himself away from there.

In a move that he only was only half surprised by, the shadows twisted away from him and he became lost in their cold restricting tendrils. He thrashed angrily, but they slipped away from his control.

He was just thinking that his lungs were going to burst when the darkness abruptly fell away. Nico fell forwards, landing on his hands and knees. He almost hit his head on the hardwood floor, but a strong hand grabbed his shoulder, supporting him.

The demigod looked up hazily, but he was pretty sure he knew who it was. Sure enough, a familiar face swam into view. The Chinese man's face was deadpan, but Nico thought he caught a flash of amusement behind his eyes.

"You've certainly gotten better at this," Yao said. "You almost caught yourself that time."

"Yeah," Nico muttered, swaying to his feet. Yao kept a firm grip on his arm and steered him towards the nearest cushion. Nico all but collapsed bonelessly into a crossed legged seat.

"Fortunately, I was already making tea." Yao called back as he made his way towards what Nico recognized as the kitchen.

Nico didn't entirely know what to make of Yao. The man looked to be in his late 20's, but appearances didn't really matter in the world Nico now lived in. With his growing powers, Nico could usually understand the basics of a person's mortality and their closeness to death, but with Yao - nothing. It was as if there was a smooth wall set up around the Chinese man's soul that Nico couldn't see past or understand.

It was actually a tad infuriating.

Nico only knew a few things about him. He was certainly a calm, wise individual, and was surprisingly kind. He had dealings with Greek gods and mythology before, as clear from the easy way he discussed Nico's world. His house was old, and hummed with a clean, soothing feeling. The most notable feature in the sitting room he was currently in was the cluster of paintings and photographs on a low table. Nico didn't recognize any of the faces - but some of the paintings were definitely ancient.

Nico studied one picture in particular. Yao, in a traditional red chinese jacket, was surrounded by a throng of people, all looking a little younger than him, from various Asian ethnicities. Yao's face looked a little startled, as though not expecting the picture to be taken. A Chinese teenager leaned on Yao, face impassive, making a peace sign with his fingers. An enthusiastic Korean man appeared to be in the process of leaping onto Yao's back, while a short Japanese man stood off to side with two other women, all faintly smiling. The picture looked only a few years old, and by its subtly prominent placement, it was currently the most important one.

"Oh."

Nico's head shot up, embarrassed at having been caught looking. The Chinese man had come back into the room without him noticing, setting a tray down on the low table in front of Nico. He followed Nico's gaze to the picture in question, a fond and slightly sad expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," Nico stammered, looking away quickly. "I wasn't trying to pry, or anything." Yao shrugged, gracefully seating himself beside the teen.

"It's no trouble. Those are my siblings." And it was clear from their still expressions that they cared about each other.

 _Siblings._ Nico's eyes burned, and he angrily swiped away the tears starting to form there.

"I had a sister too," Nico said quietly, not entirely trusting his voice. He could see Yao glancing towards him in surprise out of the corner of his eye.

"Had?" Yao queried softly. Nico nodded.

"Her name was Bianca. Sh-she left, an-and then she _died_ and I went to see her again b-but she had gone and left Elysium and now I'm _alone_ and-" Nico broke down.

If asked later, he couldn't have said what had gone on inside his head, but Nico found himself leaning against Yao with the Chinese man's arms gently wrapped around his shaking frame as he sobbed.

"She's _gone_ ," Nico whispered.

"I know." Yao's voice was quiet.

Nico didn't know how long the two of them sat there, with Yao's silent comfort as he let himself cry.

"We all die, Nico." Yao's voice cut softly through Nico's sniffles. The teen saw the Chinese man look sadly towards his table of memories.

The next phrase was said so quietly that Nico wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not.

"Even us."

* * *

Nico showed up only once in the next year, haggard looking and miserable. It was then that Yao learned the most of the teen's past, now almost 14 years old.

The nation simply listened as Nico told of Titans and war, incoming darkness and terrible things that Yao privately thought Nico was too young to have to experience. He learned of Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and the other heroes at Camp Half-Blood.

Yao was not surprised to learn of the Greek's base in America. There were so many stationed over there nowadays, with Alfred's growth and peak as a superpower. Of course, the hearts of the mythos were in the countries where the pantheon had originated, but humans and beliefs were fickle. They moved. A lot.

But when Nico came back, exhausted, but secretly happy under his doom and gloom exterior, telling Yao that the war was over, the nation discovered that he was glad these particular humans and beliefs had survived.

It was a bit too soon for the apocalypse, in his opinion.

* * *

"And I couldn't believe it, Yao!" Nico gestured, more animated than the Chinese nation had seen for most of the Greek demigod's accidental past visits. "They were _Roman_. And not just a few demigods that had banded together in a Roman style, no, there was a whole _city_."

"I see," Yao hmmed. Why those gods had decided to cross paths again after all those years apart was beyond him. It just got messy, since they had insisted on keeping secrets from each other in the first place, as though there was only one true mythology in the world.

Nico growled under his breath. " _Why_ are you not more interested by this?" the boy complained, absolutely sounding his age for a rare moment. "Just think, there could be whole other pantheons out there that we don't even know about!"

"Well," Yao said dryly, thinking back to the ancient nations and the multitude of legends, magic, and mythos that he had encountered in his 5000 years as a quasi-immortal national personification. "There certainly is a possibility."

* * *

Then there was another war, with giants this time. Nico lost control of his shadow traveling only once and then-

He didn't show up for a long time.

* * *

Kiku enjoyed having tea with Yao, especially since they were on much better terms again nowadays. He was definitely the quieter of the two nations, but Yao was content to talk enough for the both of them.

Yao was just finishing a story, the two of them seated across from each other, when the Chinese nation froze, stopping his tale completely. He carefully set his cup down, head tilted to the side as though carefully listening for something. Kiku frowned slightly, glancing around the room.

"Are you well?" the Japanese man inquired. The moment the question left his lips, he tensed as well, feeling a ripple of magic around him. Shadows?

A faint smile broke Yao's still face and he got to his feet in a swift movement. Casually, he stepped a few feet to his left and held his arms out slightly in an upwards facing motion. Kiku was about to question this strange action when, to his shock, the shadows playing about on the ceilings broke open and released a short figure, electing a small yelp from the person in question.

The Chinese nation caught them easily.

The teen winced and glanced up, relaxing a bit at the sight of Yao's raised eyebrow. "Oh, it's you."

"Indeed." Yao set them down. Kiku thought he was done with the surprises, but received yet another one as he recognized his older brother's expression. He had seen that hidden, exasperated fondness many times, especially when he was very young.

The Chinese man folded his arms. "I thought perhaps you had finally mastered that particular ability of yours. I see I was wrong."

 _I'm glad_ , the words actually said.

"Yeah, well, I was a little occupied. There was a war going on, you know."

 _It's good to see you too_ , was the response.

Yao huffed, and jerked his chin over his shoulder in the direction of the hallway. "Go wash up. You're filthy. I believe you know where it is?"

The young teen cracked a grin before ducking past Yao down the hall. Kiku was completely mystified by the whole affair. He watched the older nation smile as well before heading over the kitchen.

"Yao…" Kiku asked hesitantly. The Chinese nation put on a kettle with more water to make tea.

"Hmm?"

"Do you normally have Greek demigods visit your home?"

"What? Oh, no. That's Nico. He shows up sometimes."

* * *

Nico was thoroughly confused. He was also in pain and more than a little perturbed by the strange howling demon wolf creature that was currently chasing him through the back alleys of Manhattan. The bleeding wound in his side didn't exactly help matters.

He had been stupid, his oxygen-starved brain processed sluggishly. His breathing was harsh and ragged. Wandering alone in the middle of the day, he was just asking for trouble. And trouble had definitely found him, in accordance to the demigod variation of Murphy's Law. One moment he was fine, then _bam!_ Demon wolfie here showed up and Nico had a brand new hole in his side. It's teeth were sharp. As in, easily slices through solid steel, sharp.

Nico also did not recognize this creature _at all._ That in itself was a reason for him to worry, because he was the kid that had studied over decks of Mythomagic cards and memorized practically every Greek monster that ever existed. But this monster also _felt_ wrong. Normally a monstrous and ragged grey wolf, it sometimes shifted appearances into wispy mists, or a gaunt looking man, all with the same red eyes.

Talk about a drama queen. One that was unfortunately doing it's best to murder him.

Nico risked a glance over his shoulder, stumbling in the process. The wolf-thing sprang at him, snarling. The demigod gasped and threw himself to the side, turning it into a roll. He came to his feet shakily, sword out in front of him.

The wolf spun around, it's glowing gaze rising to meet Nico's. If wolves could look contemptuous, that's the expression that would fit this monster's face. It growled again, stalking closer, but the sound was mocking. _Got you_ , it seemed to say.

Nico decided that wherever this monster was from, they could have it back.

The demigod backed up until his back was pressing against a brick wall. His head hurt. Most of him hurt, actually. Nico wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his sword up.

He glanced up. Well, there was one more thing he could do. It was conveniently shady where he was standing.

Nico flashed a last smirk at the monster and sheathed his ring sword before calling the shadows. They came as usual, wrapping him in their darkness and taking him away.

 _Will is going to kill me_ , Nico thought.

 _Well… At least he will if I don't die here first._

A burning weight suddenly slammed into his chest, forcing all the air from his lungs. Nico choked, shoving away the snapping teeth of a monster that was suddenly _very very very close oh gods_. Somehow, the demon-wolf had jumped into his shadow-travel with him. All control of his magic lost, Nico gave in to the dark, more interested in keeping the monster from ripping his face off.

The shadows seemed to twist somewhere else at the last second, and the demigod was back out in the daylight again. Nico shoved the wolf off him, desperation giving him enough strength for one final push. The monster gave with an angry howl. It skidded backwards, claws cutting deep grooves into the concrete beneath them. But with that last rush of adrenaline gone, Nico crumbled, knees hitting the pavement as he collapsed onto his hands and knees.

 _I'm going to die_ , Nico thought, peculiarly calm under his pained wheezing. Black spots swam before his eyes. He could see the monster charging again out of the corner of his eye, but he could barely move. There was no time...

A defiant shout rang out, and someone blew past him in a blur of black and shining bronze. Nico managed to look up in time to see the demon wolf explode into ashes with an agonized wail. The demigod winced, turning his face away as the dust settled. Finally recognizing the figure standing where the monster had been, he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position with a mixture of relief and disbelief.

Yao turned back to Nico, concern etched onto his features. Shaking his head, his did… _something_ with the pair of strange, stubby looking swords clutched in his hands so they disappeared in a twinkle of bronze. The Chinese man knelt beside Nico and wrapped an arm around the demigod, helping him to his feet.

"You get into far too much trouble," Yao scolded. Nico nodded hazily, not disagreeing with that statement.

"What _was_ that?" Nico wheezed, staring at the pile of grimy ashes scattered on the pavement. Yao glanced over his shoulder, frowning.

" A yaoguai. A type of demonic shapeshifter."

"Oh, good, _demonic_ shapeshifters," Nico grumbled. "My favorite kind. And I have no idea what that was."

"I would have been surprised if you did," Yao conceded, still keeping a suspicious eye on the spot the monster had disappeared. "It's a Chinese monster. I've never seen them in America before."

"Just my luck," Nico chuckled sourly. He side-eyed Yao. Yao glanced back.

"What are you doing here?!" They both burst out at the same time. Nico blinked.

"You first," the demigod muttered. Yao shrugged.

"I'm in New York on business." Nico started, finally noticing that the other man was wearing a rather nice black suit. "I had a conference meeting today. It just finished, so I took a walk." Yao made a face. "I needed some peace and quiet."

"And you chose to walk around _New York_ in the middle of the day to get peace and quiet?" Nico asked incredulously.

"If you attended our conferences as often as I did, you'd understand," Yao muttered, rolling his eyes. "What about you?"

"I took a walk too," Nico admitted. "But I live here. And-" Nico suddenly cut off with a pained groan, doubling over as the bite in his side flared. Yao caught him as his legs gave out.

"Nico! What-" Yao stopped, taking in Nico's full appearance. His gaze flicked down to Nico's side, blood staining the demigod's hand as he shakily covered the wound. "You're injured."

"I noticed," Nico ground out. "That stupid monster bit me."

Yao's eyes widened. "The yaoguai _bit_ you?!" The man swore under his breath, the unfamiliar cadence of the Chinese words sounding harsh to Nico's already fuzzy hearing. Yao paused for a second, contemplating, then scooped an arm under the demigod's knees. Ignoring his protests, the man picked Nico up bridal style, with what Nico thought was an unfair amount of ease. He was practically taller than Yao, for Hades' sake.

"What are you doing?" Nico complained. "Put me down, I can walk." His head was spinning from that small motion and he felt close to blacking out, but other than that, he felt fine.

"Where is your camp?" Yao demanded. Nico blinked hazily at him.

"Long Island. Strawberry fields. Half-Blood hill. Why?" The pain was making it hard to think clearly.

Yao nodded and started walking. "The bite of the yaoguai is pestilent," he explained in a low tone. "If left untreated, it will consume your soul."

"Oh. That's bad."

Yao sighed. "I need to get you back to Camp Half-Blood. Hopefully, they'll have the right supplies for me to save you."

"Why are you coming?" Nico asked. His head lolled to the side. It was getting difficult to focus on anything. "We got good doctors. Chiron. And Will." A lazy smile touched his lips. "Will is good."

He was pretty sure Yao raised his eyebrow at that. "I'm sure they're excellent, however, as far as I know, I'm the only one within several thousand miles that has any experience treating yaoguai bites."

"Hmmm." Nico hummed. He was really tired, if he could just fall asleep…

"Nico." Yao gave him a slight shake, his tone sharp. The demigod winced, jolting back into a reasonable amount of awareness.

"I need you to keep talking," the man explained. A layer of concern had crept back into his voice. "That drowsy feeling is your soul drifting. Stay awake. Tell me about something. Actually," Yao paused. "Tell me about your shadow traveling."

"'M not very good," Nico mumbled. "Go to China too much. Whenever I lose control," he made a weak motion with his hand. "Shadows take me to China."

"Hmm." Yao sounded puzzled over something. "Today, when I saw you shadow travel, with the yaoguai following you- had you lost control then?"

"Mmhmm."

"What? But you didn't end up in China, you stayed in New York…" The man blew out a breath, the motion rocking Nico a little more in time to Yao's steady footfalls. "I thought it was my house that was diverting your energy…"

"Asked Dad 'bout it," Nico put in helpfully. "He said it was a curse. Roman curse. 'S'weird, 'cause 'm not Roman…"

For some reason, that last admittance really got Yao's attention. "It was Roman? And just on you?" When Nico nodded, he continued in a suspicious tone. "What was the exact phrasing of the ending up in China part?"

Nico shook his head. "No," he slurred. "No ending up in China." He held up admonishing finger. " _Going_ to China. Whenever I lose control of m'shadowtraveling I _go_ to China."

Yao was dead silent for a few seconds. "You _go_ to China," he finally said in a deadpan voice. He suddenly groaned, stopping dead. Nico blinked up at him curiously, noticing that Yao was looking a little pissed off as realization spread across his face.

"Because it all comes down to the essence of _what defines a nation_. Ooooooh, _Priscus_." Yao growled. "By the judgement of Yan Wang, I am going to _kill_ you."

Nico was suddenly very glad that he was not named Priscus. The look on the Chinese man's face was murderous. Yao snorted and started walking again, this time more aggressively.

"Really, Roma? _Really_?" Yao glared up at the sky for some reason, as though he had deeply taken offense with the clouds.

"It's been TWO THOUSAND YEARS! YOU COULDN'T LET THAT GO?!"

Nico wisely kept his mouth shut. Yao grumbled some more angry Chinese, seething with indignant rage, before apparently calming down again.

"Alright, Nico." Yao still sounded grumpy, but at least Nico was mostly awake with all the commotion. "Keep talking. Why don't you tell me about this Will? He sounded important."

Nico was more than happy to talk about Will. He liked Will.

* * *

Nico had fully passed out just when Yao found the camp. Locating it had been a little harder than he thought it would be. If Nico hadn't told him exactly where it was, the nation was sure that he probably would never have found it.

 _Go away!_ The surrounding air screamed. _Dangerous! Unwelcome!_

Yao sighed as he looked up the hill. He really hoped he wasn't about to get smote by some angry Greek god. They always had been touchy- especially _that_ one, he thought, uneasily taking in the Athena Parthenos.

Yao glanced off to his left at the angry hissing and spitting from the Greek dragon under a nearby tree. The glimmering gold from the sheepskin draped over the thickest branch caught his attention for a moment. That's what was protecting the camp. Well, that and the statue. Which should not have the ability to look that angry and foreboding, considering that it was made of ivory and gold.

Nico moaned softly, restlessly stirring in his arms. Yao glanced down guiltily, reminded of what he was here for. The teen's face was ashen and pained. He'd lost a lot of blood. If he didn't get medical treatment soon, he would most likely lose his soul for good.

It was that final conclusion fully made up Yao's mind for him. Striding forwards, he stopped in front of the barrier protecting the camp and bowed to the statue as best he could with his burden in his arms.

"Honorable gods." Yao spoke as humbly as he could. "I apologize for trespassing. However, I request admittance so I can right a wrong that has been done to one of yours by one of my own. Please allow this."

The statue shone briefly with a bright light. Yao held his breath as it washed over him.

The glow abruptly ceased. The barrier still hummed with suspicion, but it also had gained a grudging acquiescence.

"Thank you." Yao bowed once more and quickly trotted through the barrier, wincing slightly at the tingling feeling of foreign magic. The entirety of the camp came into view the moment he was past.

Yao raised his eyebrows, taking in the rather impressive buildings and training grounds. The architecture was a familiar mixture of modern and Greek styles from ages gone by. Far off to the left, he could see sprawling strawberry fields, being tended by a few distant figures.

Around him, demigods were going about their day. The clash and clatter of weaponry came from what looked like an arena. Another group of teenagers were hanging around a large concrete pavilion with a brazier in the middle. Yao stopped, unsure of where to go.

It didn't take long for him to get noticed.

"Hey!" A trio of demigods had made their way over to him, looking alarmed. Yao calmly met the gaze of their leader, a black-haired boy looking to be a few years older than Nico. The teen's green eyes were alight with concern and suspicion.

"Who are you?" The boy demanded, his hand drifting towards the pocket of his jeans. His blond companion's hand was already on his sword. The girl behind the two gasped at the sight of what Yao was carrying.

"Nico!"

The black haired teen's face darkened as he too spotted the son of Hades. "Piper, go get Chiron." The girl swallowed, then nodded and ran off towards the large white house in the clearing below. The teenage boy turned back to Yao, wary.

"Wha-"

"He's injured," Yao cut off impatiently. He didn't have time to be questioned. "I need to use your medical bay to treat him, or he's not going to survive for much longer." Nico shivered, as if to illustrate that point.

"We don't even know who you are," the blond said tightly. "How did you get into camp?"

"I asked politely," the nation snapped. "Now will you let me take care of Nico before he permanently loses his soul?!"

The pair of demigods were about to reply when a thunder of approaching hooves caught all of their attentions. Yao took an instinctive step back as a large white centaur galloped up, followed by a gaggle of demigods, including the girl from before.

The centaur stared down at Yao, a wary look on his bearded face. Yao took a deep breath, recognizing another immortal for what he was. He bowed again.

"You must be Chiron." The nation straightened up, meeting the centaur's gaze. "I am sorry for trespassing on Greek grounds, but it was necessary." Yao glanced down at the demigod he was carrying, unnaturally still for the moment. "Nico was attacked by a yaoguai- a monster from my pantheon. I know that you are indeed an accomplished healer, but you do not have experience with this particular wound. If I do not treat it, it will claim his life- and his soul."

The centaur shifted, considering the nation.

"I believe I have met one of your kind before," Chiron stated carefully. His eyes narrowed, intently looking the nation over. "By what name do you go by?"

"You most likely knew Helena and later, Priscus." By the recognition in the other's face, Yao knew that the centaur understood. He dipped his head. "In the ancient times I was known as The Middle Kingdom. I am China."

"Wait, what?" A new blonde demigod interjected. She frowned, looking suspicious. "You're a country?" A low buzz of uneasy murmurs was echoed from her fellow companions.

"Enough," Chiron commanded. The teenagers all abruptly cut off in surprise. He nodded to Yao. "Our medical bay should have enough supplies for your needs. Will, assist him." A blond teenager nodded, a stricken look on his face as he stepped forwards.

The Chinese nation breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Chiron let out a heavy sigh of his own. His dark eyes flicked down to Nico in consternation and a deep set sadness. The centaur soberly met Yao's gaze again.

 _Please save him,_ the gaze said.

Yao nodded before turning and following Will down the hill towards the Big House.

* * *

Nico hated passing out. He especially hated waking up after passing out. This was unfortunate, as he seemed to do it an inconvenient amount.

Fortunately, the waking world didn't so much crash as steal over him this time. Nico's eyes flickered open. He was comfortably warm, that much he could tell, and there was an unusual feeling of peace inside him.

"Nico?" That voice was familiar, tinged with relief. Something gold and radiant looking moved into Nico's fuzzy line of sight. Nico blinked a few times, and Will's face swam into clarity.

Will grinned.

"Hey," he greeted softly. "How are you feeling?"

It took a few lethargic seconds for Nico to fully register the inquiry.

"Not… too bad," he finally replied, voice a little groggy. His side burned a little bit, and he carefully put his hand to it. Fingers met wrapped bandages. Nico frowned. There was something going on, something unusual that he couldn't quite place. "What's going on?"

A disgruntled snort signaled the presence of another individual in the room. Will carefully helped Nico into a sitting position, and the injured demigod's eyes widened as he saw Yao come into view as well. The Chinese man raised an eyebrow back, wiping his hands on a white towel, and all of Nico's memories of the past events came flooding back.

"You need to stop nearly dying while I'm around," the Chinese man griped. "It's bad for your health."

Nico huffed a short laugh. "No kidding. Yao, what are you doing here?" He frowned as a thought struck him. " And how did you get into camp?"

"I was polite."

"Nico," Will cut in before the other demigod could reply. "How much do you remember?"

"Almost everything." Nico glanced over at Will. With faint surprise, he took in the small fidgeting the son of Apollo was doing. Will was side-eying Yao every so often with uncertainty and a subtle amount of awe. Nico looked sharply back at the Chinese man, who was still standing impassively by the side of the sick room. "What happened after I passed out?"

"Your… friend brought you into camp," Will explained quietly. His brow furrowed. "You-you almost died, Nico. The…" he glanced at Yao for confirmation.

"Yaoguai," Yao supplied.

"Yaoguai bite," Will nodded. "It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. I had no idea how to treat it." He looked fairly upset over this fact. "If it wasn't for him…" Will glanced back towards Yao and trailed off awkwardly.

Nico blew out a slow breath. "Well, I'm alive, so that's something."

Yao rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

"Also, Nico." Will's tone was sudden careful. "How long have you known Yao?"

Nico blinked, thinking back. "A few years. I, uh… mess up... on my shadow-traveling sometimes," he admitted, voice getting very quiet at the end of his statement. It was a bit embarrassing. "Whenever I do, I seem to show up at his house."

Will looked about to burst with exasperation. "And you never told me that you knew a Chinese god?!"

Nico cocked his head, eyes wide. "My hearing must still be affected from that wound, because it just sounded like you said Yao was a god," he said slowly.

"I am not a god," Said person interjected sternly. "Do not mistake the nations for such beings." Yao folded his arms, leveling a sharp stare at the two demigods. "We are merely our people, nothing more."

"You're a _what_?" Nico asked in disbelief.

Yao sighed. "I am a Nation. I personify the cultural identity and consciousness of the Chinese people."

"He said he was China," Will translated helpfully.

"...oh." Nico stared blankly, thinking it over. "That makes a weird amount of sense... How old _are_ you? And why…" He struggled with the phrasing for a second. "Why can't I see it?"

Will look puzzled, but Yao dipped his chin slightly in understanding. The Chinese man -nation?- closed his eyes for a moment. Silence filled the room. "Try it now."

Nico started in surprise. The wall was gone. The feeling emanating from Yao was… _ancient_ , there was no other way to put it. The demigod looked on in awe. A nation's soul was golden and everlasting. Nico locked a bewildered gaze with Yao in a silent question.

"All nations can do it," the Chinese nation explained. He looked tired, but a spark of humor glowed in his eyes. "It's easier to stay out of sight that way. We can live in the mythical world-" he inclined his head. "Or we can stay in the mortal realm."

"Ok, so I'm not _really_ sure what just happened here," Will interrupted. He shot Nico his best "Doctor Solace" glare. "But I have a sneaking suspicion it involved you _using your powers_ when you are clearly bedridden and _not_ supposed to be using them."

Nico started to protest, but Will just sniffed and pushed him back down on his bed. "Nope. No arguing."

Nico grumbled under his breath and closed his eyes. "Fine. I'm tired anyways."

Yao huffed. "You're too young to be tired."

"Well," Nico cracked an eye open. "You're too old not to be dead yet, but here we are."

Will spluttered, scandalized, but that statement surprised a full laugh from Yao, ringing throughout the room.

"You would get along well with my siblings." Yao sounded amused. "In fact-" the nation cut off abruptly. His eyes widened, and he slowly turned his head in the direction of the door.

Nico tried to sit up again, alarmed, but Will kept his hand on his chest and prevented him from doing so. "What is it?" the son of Hades settled for asking.

Yao sighed, a look of exasperation covering his face.

"He's here," the nation grumbled. " _This_ should be interesting. I can't _wait_ to hear his explanation for all this." Yao headed for the door, shaking his head and muttering darkly to himself.

"Ummm… who's here?" Will asked tentatively, mildly put off by the peeved look on the immortal's face.

Yao paused at the door frame. "The Roman Empire," he stated simply.

Both Will and Nico blinked in unison as the nation left without a sound. The glanced at each other.

Nico threw his covers back. "This I have to see."

* * *

It had surprisingly taken only a small amount of convincing (see: arguing) on Nico's part to get out of the infirmary. Will, though trying to hide it, was just as antsy and intrigued as Nico was.

Nico was a tad annoyed at the stipulation of the wheelchair, but all in all, he _had_ apparently almost lost his soul and he was still getting what he wanted. There was only mild complaining. Mostly from Will.

"I can't believe you convinced me to do this," Will grumbled, pushing the wheelchair towards the large huddle of demigods by the camp's border.

"Can't you go any faster?" Nico griped back.

Their bickering continued right up to meeting up with the others. Percy glanced over, eyes widening at the sight of the two of them.

"Nico!" Percy jogged over, looking pleased and relieved. "You're alive!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "I try my best."

"Sure you do," Will muttered.

Percy looked on, bemused at the dark glowering the two other demigods were engaging in. "Soooo… What's going on?"

"That depends." Nico craned his head, trying to see far enough over Frank and Jason to catch a glimpse of a familiar figure. "What's Yao doing?"

"The Chinese country dude? He's over there." Percy pointed. Sure enough, Nico caught side of the nation, arms stiffly crossed and glaring at the border as though waiting for something. "He went straight back to Chiron and told him that… The Roman Empire was coming? Yeah, and then he's been staring at the boundary ever since." The son of Poseidon shrugged. "It's been a weird day."

"I have a feeling it's about to get weirder," Will sighed.

Nico tilted his head back to look at the taller demigod. "Can you take me over to Yao? I want to talk to him."

"Yeah, yeah." Will snorted and put his hands back on the wheelchair's handles. "What do I know? I'm just your doctor… trying to keep you alive…"

Whatever else Will was going to say was cut off by the sudden commotion coming from the watching demigods. Everyone's gaze shot back over to the nation standing by the border, just in time to see two more strangers enter the camp. Faint sounds of an argument began to make themselves heard.

"I don't care how long it's been," a dark-haired woman snapped. "If you're going to make trouble, make trouble on your own side! You have plenty of legacies to choose from!"

"Aaah, come now!" A well-built man chuckled in reply. "I am only appreciating the many years you put into them, after all."

A loud, vehement flurry of Ancient Greece was spat back in reply, causing all demigods present to widen their eyes. Some of them were horrified, having never even _heard_ those particular words before. Others were mentally adding to their vocabulary.

Yao finally stepped forwards. "Helena," he greeted. A warm smile was exchanged, and the women stepped forwards, clasping hands with the Chinese nation.

"Yao! It's been too long. I am glad to see you." She shot a fierce glare back over her shoulder at the other man. "Even though it's because of _him_. I didn't want to come, but he couldn't get down without me, and it's _my_ territory after all."

"Lady Helena!" Chiron trotted forwards, a surprised look creasing his face. "I did not realize that you would return. What is the cause for this occasion?"

A brilliant smile lit up Helena's face, completely changing her demeanor. "Chiron, thank you for taking care of my kin for so long." She bowed her head before glancing up and around her surroundings. "I see the camp is continuing well. It pleases me."

"As for the occasion," Yao scowled in the direction of the currently unnamed man. "Priscus, what have you got to say for yourself?!"

The attention of everyone present immediately shifted towards the auburn haired man as he stepped forwards. A low chuckle was heard as he shrugged, eyes twinkling.

"That's it, Yao? No, _how nice to see you, my friend_? Helena gets greeted, and I don't?"

The Chinese nation made an exasperated sound. "Not when you've been making trouble." He whipped an arm around to furiously point in Nico's direction, startling the crowd. "You put a curse on a mortal just to prove a point on a _two thousand year old argument!_ "

Nico blinked. "Wait, what?"

"I dunno," Will muttered. "But is that the supposed Roman Empire?"

The question seemed to have been voiced louder than the demigod had thought, because Priscus immediately turned to face him, beaming.

"Oh, its so nice to be recognized these days! Why yes," the man gave a sweeping bow to all assembled. "I am the Great Roman Empire."

" _Priscus…_ " both Helena and Yao growled at the same time. The ancient nation coughed and straightened up.

"But yes, Yao. It was to make a point." He prodded the much shorter nation in the chest gleefully. "And it _worked!_ That means I win."

"Won what?" That was Annabeth, eyes narrowed and surely processing all this new information better than anyone else there.

Yao glared at Priscus for a moment before speaking. "Priscus and I had a debate a… while back."

"Two thousand years ago!"

"Be quiet, you oaf." Helena thwacked him over the head. Yao rolled his eyes.

"It was over the true nature and existentiality of what makes up our kind. The finer details are unimportant," he continued hurriedly, see the Roman was about to interrupt again. "But suffice to say, it ended with our… differing opinions."

"He means he wouldn't admit I was correct."

"That's _not_ it."

"So then, I saw an opportunity in you." Priscus pointed to Nico, who was getting little lost.

"Me," Nico deadpanned. "How exactly did you do that?" The other man waved a careless hand.

"I'm dead, technically, but I get bored up there. So I decided to place a… small curse on your shadow traveling. And since the wording was precise, you would only end up going _to_ China," he pointed back to an increasingly irritated Yao here. "If _my_ theory on our capacity to be defined was correct."

Everyone except for the immortals and Annabeth looked completely confused.

"Soooo…" Will slowly said. "Can you fix it? The… whatever?"

"Errr…" Priscus hesitated. Helena whipped her head around to stare at him so quickly it was a miracle she didn't get whiplash. He quailed under her fierce gaze. "Not… exactly…"

Everyone winced as the ancient Greek nation exploded. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NOT EXACTLY?!"

Priscus muttered something that went unheard by most but apparently understood by Yao and Helena, because they both growled identical sounds of exasperation again.

Nico started to say something over the nation's squabbling, but quickly realized they were far too loud for that. He rolled his eyes heavenward and sucked in a sharp breath.

"HEY!"

The argument abruptly halted. All three immortal nations shifted to look at the son of Hades in varying amounts of contrition.

"Since this is actually about me, I think I deserve a say," Nio began grumpily. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. After a moment, he addressed the Roman Empire directly. "Now, you can't get this off my shadow traveling?"

The nation shrugged. "It's not in my jurisdiction anymore," he explained apologetically. "Like I said before, I'm dead. Helena and I," he gestured towards his female companion, "as Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, don't exist except through our two camps." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm actually surprised the curse even worked…"

Nico shrugged as well, hands wide. "Then that's fine." A quick silence fell over the camp.

"Nico," Will asked, an uncertain tone in his voice. "You sure?" The son of Hades nodded.

"I've lived with it this long, and… it's actually been kind of nice. To have someone help, you know, when things go wrong." He thought he saw Yao duck his head, a small smile on his face.

"Well that's settled then!" Priscus sounded very relieved. He clapped his hand together. "This has been quite a pleasant trip, but I really think Helena and I should be going. Things to do, people to see!"

"Oh, no you don't." Helena grabbed his ear as the Roman nation made a quick about-face and dragged him with her to the boundary again. "Whenever you say that, we end up somewhere else entirely. We are _not_ going on any side trips this time." She glanced back and flashed one last brilliant smile at Yao and Chiron. "Farewell, Yao! I hope we see each other again sooner than last time. And thank you again, Chiron!" Then she went back to scolding her nation companion. "No, we are not going to go see Feliciano and Lovino. Don't you remember what happened _last_ time?!"

A few of the demigods sniggered at the sight of such a tall man getting manhandled off by the irate woman. The two disappeared over the boundary line, the sounds of their argument fading once more.

"Well," Yao broke the temporary silence. He checked his watch, grimacing at the time. "It looks like I have to leave as well. At least I got out of the conference…" he muttered under his breath.

The nation glanced up, golden eyes meeting Nico's. He smiled suddenly.

"I look forwards to having you as my guest again, Nico di Angelo."

"Uh, thanks." Nico managed to reply, a bit taken aback. (And a bit pleased.)

Yao nodded briefly to Chiron. Striding off quickly, he too disappeared in the same manner as the other immortals.

There was a general air of bafflement over the stunned group of demigods.

"Nico," Percy managed to say. "You have some _weird_ friends."

* * *

 **Well that was fun to write.**

 **I would love to hear what you have to say!**


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